Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Went to a native plant sale hosted by the Wildlife Preservation and Propagation Committee in McHenry County on Sunday. It was much like the Filene's Basement wedding dress sale, only a little more genteel. We got there shortly after they opened and many species were sold out already - so much for my switch grass fantasy. However, I did buy some things:Gentiana andrewsii (bottle gentian), Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama), Agastache scrophulariaefolia (hyssop), Liatris ligustylis (meadow blazingstar), Rudbeckia subtomentosa (sweet black-eyed Susan), and Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower).Took today off and cleaned up the garden finally. Now have a backache and am very tired. Cut the dogwood down to about waist-high, though I probably should have just taken it down to the ground. I was hesitant because it's already flowering, but it's not like the thing can be killed. Hard pruning requires strength of character and sometimes I'm too hesitant.

Other things: sky-blue aster volunteers are sproinging up all over the garden. I moved two and if they take hold, will move others. I tried transplanting a common milkweed from the center of the path into the garden, and if it takes hold I'll move the other one. I also learned that Asclepias tuberosa has a taproot; I moved a clump and broke part of the root off. Oops. Geum triflorum is thriving in the horrible rocky dry soil of the wayback, but so is the Tradescantia next to it. Someone's going to have to move, probably the Trad. I have an aster that I can't identify. I may have to wait until it blooms again to figure out what it is.

About me!

I recently completed my doctorate in evolutionary biology at the University of Illinois - Chicago. Now I'm living the rural life in Colorado's Front Range with Too Much Coffee Husband, Foley the greyhound, and Sammie the Wonder Mutt.